Origin of the New Church

Suddenly a bright light shone on Symon's face. The beggar said to his fellow townsman: 'O myn uytverkooren live vriendt en siedt dy niet den Hemel open?' Together they looked upwards, towards the then gallows field There, in a vision, they saw a golden church dedicated to Mary.

Years of the same vision

Beggar Symon died soon after, whereupon Jan Col began urging the city council to build a church on that spot of the Market Square. For thirty years, he had the same vision every year. Until the city council finally agreed to his request. It became Delft's second parish church; the 'Nieuwe Kerk'. 

In the chronicle about the Nieuwe Kerk, an unknown writer tells of another person who had a special vision: Geertruid van Oosten. Geertruid lived in Delft in the thirteenth century and was known for her mystical experiences. For example, she received the stigmata: wounds like those of Christ. The writer was convinced that she had something to do with special apparitions of Mary. Geertruid died in 1358 when she was 38, and is buried under the tower of the Oude Kerk in Delft.

The history of Delft reveals the need for a second large church next to the Oude Kerk. There were not enough places to pray, causing people to indulge in games, dancing and drinking. It was thought that building a new church would help so that there would be more space for religious activities. Whether that was the real reason remains to be seen. Rather, it seems that the city of Delft just wanted to build a big, beautiful church to show how important Delft was.

Construction of a small wooden church began in 1381. It was an temporary church, dedicated to Mary. After this, a large stone church was built around it. This new church was for Mary and later for St Ursula.

During construction, church leaders bought a statue of a weeping Mary: Our Lady in Need of God. There are many special stories about this statue, just like statues in the Old Church.

There was always a bit of competition between the two big churches in Delft. This was reflected, for example, in how relics and miraculous statues were shared between the two churches.